Rhapsody of Love and Tears
by ArturiaSaber
Summary: 5 years after Lelouch's death, war looms over the empire of Britannia. People begin to reflect and look up to Zero to bring them back peace they had. Problem is, Lelouch is not among the living anymore... Or is he? OOC, Flames accepted, just be gentle.
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER:

I don't own Code Geass or any of the original cast. ALL HAIL LELOUCH!

Prologue

A figure stands over a grave marker remembering the past. A flash illuminates the sky and also the figure for a short moment. Revealing long green hair and a face, contorted with grief and sadness. Thunder rumbles loudly across the sky, but the figure takes little notice of it. A Gentle breeze swept past and rain soon started to fall. Here the girl let loose the tears, threatening to fall a few moments ago, allowing the tears to be hidden as the rain poured over her.

Meanwhile, somewhere else across the seas, a new war was about to be unleashed. A group of dissident Britannians were rallying together, forming a renegade group and are now planning a coup de tat.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Two Thoughts.

"Nunnaly, you will catch a cold if you would stay longer than necessary out here." Zero called as he walked towards the current ruler of the Empire of Britannia.

"Ah, gomen. I was just thinking of my brother and what he would say of the current events, Zero-sama." as she turned towards the enigmatic figure who was known to have led numerous victories, stalemates and some losses against Britannia a few years ago.

Peace was brought forth after Lelouch vi Britannia died and new legislations were made where the numbers and Britannians were made equal. The numbers also got their rightful names back.

Zero, ending his rule of tyranny as what most people currently know, ran the recent events through his head. The people, not knowing of his plan to have all hatred aimed at him to join the whole world together in peace, thought of him as a devil and a tyrant who killed those who disobeyed. Apparently, all did not work out well. There were dissident Britannians who rebel once in a while, Rebellions led by former barons and dukes, who's titles were stripped by Lelouch during his reign in an effort to enforce equality among the people. Malcontent uprisings sprouted like daisies at spring, bringing endless troubles to Zero as he and Nunnaly try to bring the world together in peace.

"At the moment, I would like to think that Lelouch would have me killed if I let you catch a cold in such dire times such as these." Zero answered as he knelt down offering his hand to the frail girl allowing her to grasp it and draw strength from him.

Nunnaly tightened her hold as she replied, "I know, it's just frustrating as it is right now. Onii-san died to bring me a gentle world, yet, we can barely keep it the way it should be. I thought he may be watching over us now and worrying about us."

A knock was heard and Zero called out "Who is it?"

The door opened revealing Sayoko, Nunnaly's maid and also a fervent follower of Zero's.

"Shitsurei shimasu, Zero-sama. I come to inform you that the council has gathered at the meeting hall and are now waiting for you and Nunnaly-sama." Sayoko said as she crossed the room towards Nunnaly to usher them towards the council.

Up until recently, there had been more and more meetings where the main concern is the increase of uprisings across the country and how it I currently draining resources and affecting Britannia's influence over other areas.

Nodding with a grim air, Zero threw his cape over his shoulder as he walked towards the council, followed y Nunnaly, who was being helped by Sayoko, towards the meeting room.

There will be decisions made, and most of them could prove difficult, and some of them could prove fatal.

Zero reached the door and inhaled deeply with one thing running in mind. "Lelouch, what would you do if you were here now?"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Red Rage

Kallen, the renowned black knight ace who piloted the knightmare, Guren, was seen walking aimlessly. She had been sleepless recently due to the recent attacks brought about by malcontents and she was needed to quell the rebellions. She thought it ironic that it was a few years ago that she was doing what the malcontents were doing and now it was her turn to stop the rebellions and the Britannians are now the ones rebelling.

She thought of the old times when lelouch was still Zero, and especially thought of the betrayal on the Ikaruga by the black knights, forcing him to leave in such a hurried fashion. Now, however, she knew what really happened.

***Five years ago, in a secluded area***

Kallen threw numerous punches at the current Zero kicking at him while she felt anguished at Lelouch's death.

"Why? Why did you kill him? Why are you now being the hero when you were the one who has done so much wrong against the Japanese people?" Kallen shrieked as she delivered a blow at Zero's gut, forcing Zero down on his knees, winded.

"Murderer! Traitor! Filth! Ever an insolent scumbag who only thought of himself! Where is the justice you said you can deliver? Where is the change from within? In the end, Lelouch was able to accomplish these things, contrary to your beliefs!" A kick landed at Zero's chin forcing him down on his back.

"SUZAKU! ANSWER ME!" Kallen strode Zero, who is actually Suzaku, delivering blow after blow, the helmet long lost during their fight.

Suzaku only looked up and said one word. "Gomen."

This caused Kallen to be more enraged and threw a few more blows, picking Suzaku up at a standing position and forced him on the wall, landing more blows at his face.

Kallen then stopped and spitted at Suzaku as she turned around to leave him. "You are absolutely the worst. Mark my words, I will follow Lelouch's dying wish, but I will act only civil towards you. Don't expect the same loyalty Lelouch received from me"

***Present***

Kallen stopped and found herself at Ashford Academy. "I let my mind wander and my feet leads me here." Kallen said softly to herself. Feeling nostalgic, she went inside and headed towards the student council's room. It has been years now, but the place was still the same. Students gawked at her, recognizing the red lotus herself and some even took pictures. "This is exactly what I don't like about Britannians, but, I guess this would be because they are kids." Suddenly feeling old, she proceeded to walk back to her quarters and wait for updates.

"Ne, Lelouch, the peace you gave up your life for is slowly deteriorating. I wish you were still here. I don't know what to do anymore."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Ohgi

There was an air of tension as those gathered to meet waited for Zero and Nunnaly to start the meeting. The attacks came closer and closer to pendragon, and this worries the officials a lot. Tohdoh, sat with the usual air of calm. However, if one looks closely enough, they would see his fists clenching tightly at the handle of his sword, suggesting even he is a bit tense.

Ohgi, current ambassador for Japan, sits nervously. He found himself amidst a lot of Britannian officials and quite frankly, made him feel nervous. Ohgi tried to recall the time when they betrayed the original Zero. He wanted to kick himself now after seeing what Lelouch has planned all along. Many times they doubted them, yet many times Lelouch was able to disprove their doubts, yet they trusted their enemy and turned towards him, just because he kept his identity a secret. There were many nights where he had little sleep. He recalled the time Kallen confronted him onboard the Ikaruga.

***Flashback***

Kallen refused to come out of her quarters and Ohgi was getting angry at the way she was acting. Can't she see that they were being manipulated? He was forced to have the lock codes overridden to gain entry and have a word with their ace.

"Kallen, I know that you disapprove of what happened earlier. I just want to remind you that I am the leader of our group and that we cannot allow ourselves to be mind controlled by Zero. What would your brother say if he sees you sulking because of the right we did?"

At this Kallen was shaking with fury and roared at Ohgi's face. "Right? What was right about betraying him? What was right about believing Schneizel that we are being controlled? Would we have aimed our arms against Zero, iie, Lelouch if we were being controlled by him? He is 100 times more of a leader than you would ever be! What about you? What would MY brother think if he saw you betraying Japan's only hope?"

Ohgi took a few steps back and anger boiled within him, however, he was struck by Kallen's words and thought about it. He looked straight at Kallen's eyes and gave the best answer he can come up with at such short notice.

"Kallen, you may be right, but we cannot let this thing go on. He may not have us under his power, however, how would we know he won't use it in the future? As for Japan's only hope. I believe we can still do it, with or without Zero. If I must, I can guise myself as him to raise the people's morale. Kallen, I am sorry, but we cannot undo the things we've done. What we can do is move forward and aim for what we have aimed for a long time."

Kallen answered, "For our own sakes, I hope you are even 10% right about that." Turning around, Ohgi knew that things have changed between them, permanently.

***Present***

Ohgi shivered as he recalled the events and thought back that he was indeed wrong. They were all aghast at what Lelouch had planned. While he thought they would never live to see Japan freed, they suddenly found themselves at the front seat of the greatest drama anyone would have ever seen. Looking back, he remembered Zero plunging the sword straight into Lelouch's chest and saw the tiniest hint of a smile as if he had planned everything. Comparing their ideas afterwards, they were able to piece together what exactly Lelouch did for them. This earned him a big slap from Kallen screaming at him that he was, indeed, the enemy of justice by betraying Lelouch in the first place.

***Flashback***

SLAP! Ohgi reeled back at the sheer force of Kallen's slap. His mouth suddenly filling with the coppery taste of his blood and looked at an enraged Kallen.

"You never trusted him! Yet now you idolize him for dying for peace! What a filthy hypocrite you are, Ohgi. Since you never deemed lelouch should deserve your trust, then the same goes with you. You will never, ever, gain my trust and respect. You were blinded by your own ambition to be known as a hero, the bringer of freedom to Japan. You are just lucky we cannot let the people know what exactly happened. Ohgi, our friendship ends here." Kallen fumed at Ohgi. Glaring at the rest she announced, "The same goes for all of you!" With those words, she turned around and left them, taking Guren with her.

***Present***

Feeling that he, indeed, looked villainous to Kallen, reasoned to himself that they had no choice back then, however, a nagging voice answered back that they did have another choice. Looking up, he saw Zero and Nunnaly entering the room.

"Minna, thank you for waiting. We have quite a lot to discuss, yet so little time left to do so."

Ah yes, Ohgi thought to himself, we definitely screwed up big time, betraying our only savior, now we couldn't even keep the peace he gave us. *SIGH!* "Where have we gone wrong?" Ohgi muttered to himself.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Meetings and Food Poisoning

The meeting started without any pleasantries as the situation calls immediate attention.

"Have you seen the report from our intel, Zero?" Tohdoh said as he handed Zero a folder containing latest intel details.

"I haven't yet. What is the main concern as of the moment?"

"It would seem that the malcontents are slowly increasing in numbers. There is also a disturbing report that there might be some traitors amongst our midst. The malcontents were able to persuade some scientists and engineers to join their cause and are currently fully armed with 7th to 9th generation knightmares."

"I see. We will have to bulk up our forces as well. Is there anyway we can disseminate our troops and pick out the possible traitors? Also have Lloyd and Rakshata filed their report yet?"

Cecile answered "At the moment Rakshata was able to double the Hadron cannon's output rating while using only 70% of it's original power. Regrettably, with such design, the new hadron rifles can only be fired 3 times before the barrel melts itself. Also Lloyd has been increasing power outputs of Lancelot Excalibur and Shogun Shinkirou. Final adjustments are being made at the moment." This, while Cecile was passing around plates of sandwiches which most of the council looked with gratitude, while those who know of Cecile's culinary skills shuddered and were thinking of alibis.

"Good. When can I have Lancelot tested?" Zero said as he picked among the sandwiches in front of him, reserving the few "decent" ones to eat later when alone.

"Zero, Won't you use Shogun Shinkirou at all? You are, after all, the only one who mastered the Druid system from the original. Also, the shinkirou would provide better protection for you." One of the commanders asked.

While missed by most, Cecile saw that most of the people present understood why Zero chose the Lancelot. Only a handful knew of his identity. "Then why build Shinkirou in the first place?" Cecile thought to herself as Zero answered.

"If the king does not move, so would his followers." Remembering Lelouch's saying.

Tohdoh raised his head and asked Cecile, "How about the Tengu Zangetsu?"

"It has just finished it's final checks. Like the rest, it now comes with the latest micro filler and a Radiation Micro Vibration blade with jet propulsion."

"Micro filler?" Tohdoh asked.

"Hai. The micro filler is 10 times smaller but comes with 2 times the capacity. A huge improvement from the previous fillers. Regrettably, the design is quite awkward and cannot be utilized by most Knightmares. So far, only the 3 mentioned and the full armament pack for the Guren are capable of using micro fillers."

"I see. I will be heading out later with you then to test the new frame. Zero, as of the moment, we have no way of sorting through our men and looking for traitors. We would have to be more cautious and I suggest we increase the level of security" Tohdoh replied.

"Agreed. By the way, I'm coming as well to check on Lancelot. We will have to assign more of the black knights to directly protect Pendragon." Zero said and Tohdoh nodded in acknowledgement.

"Anyway, seeing we have sandwiches here, why not eat first?" a voice said from the entry way.

They all looked up and saw Tamaki, with a slightly irritated look. "Why wasn't I invited to a meeting again? Am I not one of the most important members of this black knights?"

Zero coughed and said "Tamaki, why don't you sit down since you are here and have a few sandwiches?"

Tamaki grumbled and sat down fishing a sandwich as most members started to unwrap the sandwiches.

"Anou, I need to fetch something for later this afternoon." Tohdoh said while making an escape.

"I am watching my figure." Nunnaly said prodding Sayoko to take her away.

"I have assassination training as well." Sayoko said pushing Nunnaly away.

"I wonder what's up with them?" Ohgi said as he raised the sandwich towards his mouth.

"Oh well, better call the local hospital and have the stomach pumps on standby." Zero thought while offering a silent prayer for their safety.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Were you able to bring in the shipment of knightmares, Cervantes?" A well built person said, who had long flowing red hair which reaches his tailbone.

Another figure is seen kneeling in front and answered, "All is done according to your instructions, Lord Desmond"

"Good. We have now amassed an army large enough to take on Pendragon and bring Britannia back to her former glory!" Lord Desmond decreed and with a graceful motion, he turned around and looked on to his troops, awaiting his orders. As he looked unto the soldiers, a familiar sigil formed in his eyes as he announced, "You will all strike fear into our enemies hearts! You will all be invincible in combat, knowing no fear and will welcome death gloriously!"

The amassed soldiers answered with a tremendous roar, "YES MY LORD!"

"Go forth and serve our empire well. Destroy what is dear to our enemies. Destroy their lives!"

With this, the soldiers made a mad dash for their respective knightmares. All of which, never seen before. They were nearly twice as big, and implements a unique 3-pilot system. Each pilot with his or her own role but are linked by their minds using a system a Mind Link Channel. Not only do these frames have sophisticated systems, they also have 3 times more armor compared to the earlier generation frames. This would enable the frames to take on 3-4 Hadron cannon bursts straight on, until it goes down. Another unique feature is the installed Slash Harkens, all of which, like the Guren's arm, emits a strong burst of energy, except it employs nuclear energy. There are 6 of these on each frame, and each can only be detonated once. They also have different equiped armaments. One has a burst hadron rifle, which gives off a short, 4-5 bursts of hadron shots. Although employs much less energy compared to the usually Hadron cannons, this enables more efficient use in combat and each burst is still enough to go through any knightmares like a hot knife through butter. Another comes with a long range artillery shot cannon. It has a very long range and devastating power, albeit, highly inaccurate. It proves useful if used against a group of knightmares. Finally, a close range, rocket propelled sword, which also can divide itself into multiple segments, turning the sword into a whip. In Whip form, it can disable a knightmare easily as each segment is equipped with Gefjun Disturbers. The sword form can cut through even a battleship.

Lord Desmond then faced Cervantes and said, "You will go and lead this army and take Pendragon at all costs. Is that understood? I will even lend you _that_."

"Understood." Answered Cervantes as he rose and headed for the hangar. He then stopped and looked at the knightmare he was allowed to use for the skirmish. It rose even taller than the previous knightmares and looked ridiculously thin. But this allows the knightmare to be exceedingly agile. Hidden rocked boosters are installed at the elbows, behind it's tighs, and under it's foot. A omnidirectional set of rocket boosters at it's back also provides more precise control when maneuvering in the air. It also carries a long range, sustained Hadron Blaster rifle, which can vary it's firing mode, depending to the situation. The rifle also carries it's own twin filler packs to power it's destructive force. It also has 10 Slash harkens equiped at it's fingertips and also a slight extension at it's knuckles, delivering a concussive blast when it hits another knightmare, effectively blowing a hole through and through.

Eager to have a match with the rounds, he boarded and initiated the launch sequence. Another unique feature of this frame is that it allows a 360 degree view, and the pilot is connected by multiple connectors. This means that whatever the pilot does, the knightmare does as well, giving it perfect control.

"All hell will break lose, and Britannia will be restored." Mused Cervantes as he initiated the launch sequence.


	7. Chapter 6

A/N Sorry for the delay for the updates. I am trying to make 1 chapter a week. Unfortunately, my internet connection suddenly dropped recently. I hope you would enjoy the story and continue reading. I will be correcting some chapters from time to time as well if needed. Please review and I welcome all suggestions regarding this story.

Chapter 6: Besieged and The People Stomping Lancelot!

"Your highness! We have reports coming in stating that a huge army is nearing Pendragon. They have destroyed all deployed forces a few kilometers away from here!" A scout shouted as he ran towards the throne room, frantically catching his breath.

"What are their numbers and what is it made up of?"

"We have counted 15 knight... er... I am not even sure if we could consider them knightmares. They were huge! And each one took on a whole battalion without even getting their paint jobs messed up!"

"Just 15? Do you happen to have this on record?"

"I was able to catch them in action, but only for 1-2 minutes."

"Very well, have Lloyd take a look at it. Tohdoh, we will need to assemble the council again." Zero said as he leaned forward towards Nunnaly's ear and added, "Nunnaly, we need to get you out of here. If the report is correct, I don't think even I could take them on. We still have no news about Kallen's whereabouts, and we also have thinned our forces trying to subdue all other violence."

"What about the people? Are we to leave them here?"

"If my hunch is correct, I doubt the enemy would attack civilians. They are only after the throne." Zero then turned and addressed Schneizel, "What do you think?"

"Schneizel, opened his eyes as he was already deep in thought and said, "True, that they are certainly after the throne. What I am confused about is the fact that they deployed only 15 frames. I believe it is best to take Nunnaly out of the palace. However I would suggest we take her inside the Shogun Shinkiro. The protective system it has will provide the best protection for her. Plus, I believe the stealth device has already been installed."

"I see. Very well. We will go by that plan. However, who will pilot the Shinkiro?"

"I will my liege. I can certainly handle the druid system."

'You got that right. You are the only one, aside from Lelouch, who can use the Druid system' Thought Zero as he nodded.

"Zero, the council has been assembled." Tohdoh said as he walked in.

"Very well. This may be the worst fight coming."

They were about to head for the council room when a voice suddenly boomed in the air.

"All those inside the Pendragon, heed my words. We are Royal 6, whom are rightful heir to the throne. You should know by now that we have destroyed most of your army and right now we have all exits blocked off. We will give you two choices. Give up the empress, or die here!"

With this Zero and Tohdoh looked at each other and then began to run for the war room.

"Have all the council members and the empress taken to safety!" Zero shouted at the nearby guard, who nodded and dashed off.

When they reached the war room, there they saw, for the first time, the enormous frames.

"Someone, bring Lloyd here." Zero said as he slowly looked at the force surrounding the palace.

"How intriguing, there are only a handful of them, yet they easily overcame our own forces." Schneizel said as he rubbed his chin.

"Your highness! I am here at your service!" Lloyd said with the usual happy go lucky tone and then looked at the screen.

"Eh? These things are huge! They can't possible be agile enough. Although it may also because the armor is a lot thicker, which gives the pilot better protection, thus they don't need to dodge."

"Lloyd, have you already seen the surveillance tape from our scout?"

"Yes,Zero. Although what intrigues me is that while we aim for smaller and more agile frames, they seem to take the opposite route. I wonder if there is a connection?"

"So tell me. What was on the tape?"

"Hmm...? Oh it showed one of those things blasting a whole platoon to smithereens." Lloyd said as he pointed at the farthest units. "They seem to have been outfitted with long range artillery cannons, which fires off a shell in the air. The shell then detonates in the air, raining some kind of explosive shells onto a large area."

"I see. So we don't know the capabilities of the other frames then?"

"Sadly no. Although, I bet my Lancelot can outmaneuver them. I will have to see more to get more information."

"You got it then."

"Eh?" Lloyd said as he and the others turned and saw Zero going out of the war room.

"Zero! What are you planning to do?" Tohdoh said as he rushed after him, with the others in tow.

"I am going out there and get them to show us what they can do. Lloyd, you better make sure you can get as mush information as possible, got it?" With that, Zero dashed off towards the hangar.

Outside, Cervantes waited for his prey to come out. He didn't wait long until he spotted Lancelot coming out. He laughed silently as he watched the white head have a hard time taking down one of the frames he deployed.

"Truly, the Lancelot is formidable. How sad that it won't do much with just speed at it's side. It sure lacks raw power to get through the armor." He then saw that so far Lancelot held on, taking down two.

"Just how tough is their armor?" Zero's mind screamed at him as he tried to dodge a number of projectiles coming towards him. He was then forced to deploy his energy wings only to be brought to a crash landing by a heavy barrage from the long range artillery. "they are also smart to keep me pinned down." As he assessed the situation, he couldn't help but notice a pool of blood forming at Lancelot's foot. He then offered a silent prayer to the poor sap he stepped on. Swearing vengeance, he moved to another location and called up Schneizel and told him to prepare for emergency evacuation.

A green haired woman brought back a badly deformed and heavily wounded person, laid him on the bed and started treating his wounds.

"Immortality is a certainly a good perk, eh?"

"Shut up, Witch! It hurts like hell!" Grumbled the former corpse. "I am going to kill him. Stepping on civilians and whatnot."

"At least you lived. Now you know how I feel getting killed thousands of times."

"I sure don't want to go through all that. May I remind you that you have killed me 2 times a day now instead of twice a week?"

"I remember the time I got stepped on by an elephant, and also got burned on a stake" Giggled the woman as she reminisced, completely ignoring him. "Maybe we should go bungee jumping sometime, without ropes."

"I'd rather jump in a pool full of carnivorous fish, dressed as a meatloaf!"

"Ara! That's a nice way of dying! There! Your wounds have already closed and your body is back to the way it was."

The wiry young man sat up slowly, gingerly feeling the previously broken bones. "Sarcasm is a foreign language to you, huh?" Cringing a bit at the bloody mess, which was his clothes. "Guess it could have been worse."

"Yeah. You could have been seen."

"It's your fault for asking for pizza at such a bad time."

"We don't have money, remember? You can always command them to give it to you for free."

"Or you can go get a job."

"Oh you! You know how bad I am doing social work." She then started removing the dressing covering one of his eyes. Slowly it revealed an amethyst eye, with two familiar sigils, one red and one blue, overlapping each other.

"You are just being lazy, C.C."

"And you are just being a spoilsport, Lelouch."

A/N

There you have it! Lelouch is alive and well(?). And now we have Lancelot in a pinch! How will he get out of this mess? please review!


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Outcasts

"Your highness, we need to leave now. Zero said he won't be able to hold them off any longer." Schneizel said as he kneeled in front of Nunnaly.

"I see. Is there nothing we can do then?"

"Regrettably, your highness. However, we will find a way and return to reclaim this city."

"Very well. You may issue the command."

Everything seemed grim at the moment. Explosions can be heard, as well as the dying screams of soldiers putting their lives on th line to protect Pendragon. Bodies littered the streets as explosions erupted across the city. It was total chaos. It was only a few hours earlier that Lancelot was finally able to take out all 15 frames that showed up. Unfortunately the enemy had brought in reinforcements, numbering more than 50 of the frames he saw, plus 20 close range ones. Just a few minutes ago, Lancelot was bound by a sword that turned into a whip. He was only able to get out when their own troops mobilized and Tohdoh came to assist him. Ohgi was completely against retreating.

"We are the Black Knights! I have overseen a multitude of operations and I know we can still gain victory! We should have all available frames fielded."

"That is out of the question," Schneizel inserted as he had a birds eye view of the area brought up on the screen. "As you can see, in a few minutes, our escape to the seas will be completely cut off. Our military bases have just reported in that they are under attack, thus reinforcement from them is completely out of the question. Sending out our remaining troops is asinine. We won't have enough to protect our retreating ships in case we come under fire."

This completely shut Ohgi up and the reality sunk in. They just lost the battle.

Suddenly Zero's voice was heard through their communication's channel. "Schneizel, there is no time. You need to get them all out! Tohdoh and I will hold them off as much as we can! My filler's energy level is already dropping, and it seems more enemy reinforcements are coming in!"

"You heard him. Prepare for immediate evacuation! Lloyd, have you collected all the data you needed?"

"Most of them. Some of the enemy's capabilities are still unknown. I will have to refer to my notes and check to verify some of them."

"I see. You better work together with Rakshata with these. We will need as much information as we can to take them on. Has the Shogun Shinkirou finished docking yet?"

"Just completed docking now. All systems are operational."

The whole group boarded Neo Avalon and took their respective seats. The Shogun Shinkirou is docked and connected by numerous connectors, feeding the frame with a vast amount of energy.

"Ok, This is Schneizel. I am initiating Shinkirou's Priwen system."

A tech read the data on the screen. "All green for Priwen System activation. All energy levels report normal for operation."

"Priwen system, initiating."

The Neo Avalon's armor was then giving off a slight, light bluish, glow, which slowly expanded to form a translucent globe enclosing the ship and it's escorts inside. Priwen, their ultimate barrier system, now at full power is ready to take on anything heir enemy can throw at them.

"All vessels, launch!"

At the command, the Neo Avalon and it's escort ships moved out of the Pendragon's docking area. Just as they left the port, the alarm sounded off.

"Enemy units approaching fast!" one of the techs said as he looked at Schneizel on the screen, "I got multiple paint on our radar. Missiles confirmed!"

"Everyone brace yourselves!"

Hundreds of missiles hit the barrier, sending ripples across it's surface. Whatever missile it didn't absorb, it deflected. Soon Hadron bursts began pounding at their barrier with similar effect.

"So far so good. Priwen system reporting normal operation." Schneizel was extremely pleased with the barrier's performance. "If only Lloyd could solve the energy consumption problem, all of our frames can be fitted with the similar system." Schneizel was mentally patting Lloyd at his back when suddenly one of the techs reported that more enemy frames were headed their way. "I see. They won't stop until we are completely obliterated then." Schneizel had a grim look on his face as he looked at the data being streamed into the console.

An explosion rumbled across the ships hull. Schneizel requested for immediate damage report. The report was bad. "The energy generators are overloading. Generator 5 and 6 has been destroyed. We are now operating at 70% and dropping!"

"Everyone, get ready for emergency maneuvers. As soon as I give the signal, uncouple the Shogun Shinkirou and I will launch and try to fend off the enemy. You will need to get away fast!"

"Sir! Incoming broadcast!" the com officer said, clearly excited.

"Who's on the line?"

"It's the Ikaruga II!"

"Patch it through!" Schneizel said, all the while formulating a new plan, taking into account that the Ikaruga carried some of their new innovations.

"Ikaruga II reporting, Schneizel." A feminine voice as the screen came into focus. Kaguya, wearing a familiar black costume, was at the captain's seat.

"You don't know how relieved I am to know that you are at command, hime-sama." Schneizel said, and he relayed his orders.

"Ok. But it will take 3 minutes before we can initiate the system, Schneizel. We will send out as much of our forces as we can to help hold off the enemy." Kaguya said as she nodded off screen at one of the commanders, giving permission to launch their own squadrons.

Schneizel turned his attention to the Neo Avalon's bridge and gave new orders to sortie as much frames as they could. He will then launch the Shogun Shinkirou as soon as they finish uncoupling it from the generators. "Zero, we are now at point Lambda 14. We just made contact with Ikaruga II and we are ready to initiate the Shadow system. I suggest you get over here as soon as you can. We are initiating in 3 minutes. The same goes for you, Tohdoh."

Zero and Tohdoh are currently pinned down at the suburbs and are trying to think of a way to get out of the current predicament. "Got it, Schneizel. We are in a pinch here, but we will manage to be there. But just in case, you are to continue protecting Nunnaly at all costs."

"I understand, Zero. We will initiate countdown now."

"Zero and Tohdoh looked at each other and knew that they had to move fast. Suddenly, out the corner of Tohdoh's eyes, he saw a red blur go by in the sky, colliding with one of the frames they were facing. After a few seconds, the enemy frame exploded, and the blur went towards another frame. At the same time, a burst of static came over their radio and a heavily garbled voice said "Get out of here! I'll back you two up. Just get out of here before more of them come!" And with a roar, the red blur finished off 3 more and is now headed for a new kill.

"Zero, we need to get out of here. You are the people's beacon of hope, so you must survive!" Tohdoh said as he brought his frame around. Zero, slack jawed, only nodded, and also turned tail. "I wonder who that was? Kallen? Nah... She hates us and by the voice, it sounds more like a guy. Then again, it must have been due to the interference. I will have Lloyd look into the records for further analysis." Both Tohdoh and Zero then flew off to rendezvous with the Ikaruga II and Neo Avalon. Zero contacted the Neo Avalon's and Ikaruga II's bridges and confirmed the time remaining to execute the system.

Lloyd cam up on another communications channel and informed them that everything is ready. "Zero, I must remind you that the system, once used, will affect all frames outside the Ikaruga II's sphere. You need to get inside within the next 2 minutes to avoid getting affected."

"We will get there, Lloyd. You just love pressuring people."

"I am just concerned about Lancelot. I still need to make a few more adjustments and upgra..." Lloyd never finished as his ear was pulled by Cecile and she then said, "Never mind Lloyd, Zero-sama. Please make sure you get back safely. We will keep the bay doors open for your immediate docking." She then shot Lloyd a look that promised pain. Lloyd can't help but shudder at her gaze. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

Both the Lancelot Excalibur and Tengu Zangetsu flew at maximum thrust. They were able to make it in just over a minute and saw that the fleet is currently engaging an enemy force. Spotting the Shogun Shinkirou projecting it's barriers around the Neo Avalon, Zero and Tohdoh moved in to assist.

"All frames are to dock immediately. We will now execute the Shadow system!" Kaguya announced as she stood up. The three frames docked immediately, however, the other frames did not. "What's wrong? You need to dock immediately for all of us to escape!"

"Your highness, we are honored to be serving you. We cannot let any of the enemy forces break through while the system initiates. We will hold them off with our live. So please, you need to escape!" Said one of the pilots as he and 3 more tackled one of the big frames, pushing it away.

"Kaguya, it is regrettable, but we need to escape now." Schneizel said. Kaguya, teary eyed, nodded and ordered the system to initiate.

As the system started, the ships seemed to blur. A sphere appeared around the ships. The sphere slowly distorted everything inside, bending light. One minute they were there, the next they were gone.

The remaining frame pilots, resigned themselves to fate and rushed off to fight on for their own survival, knowing that the ships are actually still there. They were the finest Tohdoh trained, and they knew that there are times that they need to lay their lives, for the sake of others.

Kaguya looked at the monitors and knew that the few troops who chose to stay behind would die, she gave them a silent thanks and prayed that they may somehow escape unscathed. "All ships, the system is now operational. We are now to slip through the enemy and get into China's border."

All personnel then turned to their tasks, and the ships shuddered as they moved towards the sea. Not knowing what will happen now that they have just been defeated and that Britannia is now under a new rule.

A/N This is currently the longest chapter I made. I know there are a lot of mistakes and issues. Not to worry, I will be ironing them out soon. I just purchased a new software, intended for authoring books complete with dossiers and chapter by chapter review, to help me out with the content. Please review and don't hesitate to flame me. Flaming is accepted to improve the story. Suggestions also accepted!


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Cousins

Zero walked down the Ikaruga II's corridor, noting that morale has come to a record low. Knowing that boosting morale is necessary, he couldn't help but be demoralized himself. He then recalled the battle he partook, and remembered how long it took him to take out just a single frame. God knows how many the enemy has. Silently cursing at the thought of having Jeremiah cancel the live on geass cast on him, however he knew it was for the best. he sudden;y bumped into a soft figure and he stammered an apology. He then saw that he bumped into Kaguya. Silently cursing even more for not being careful, he asked noting the glum look on her face. "What's wrong, Kaguya?"

"Zero, I know you are not the original Zero I married. I also can't help but notice how much sloppier you are. I wonder what being Zero really is. To lead a victorious battle, one after another? Or is it being charismatic and boosting people's morale? Looking back, I wished we never betrayed the the first Zero, Lelouch. Everything would have been a lot better."

"Kaguya, gomen for falling short of your expectations. I am trying my best. We even have Schneizel to help. However prepared we are, we can't expect everything to turn out the way we expect it."

"One question though. Who are you really behind that mask? Are you his follower?"

Zero paused fora minute, letting her know may get a load off his chest, however, for the sake of Zero Requiem, he musn't. He suddenly caught himself and laughed inside. Zero Requiem has succeeded, however, they already failed to keep the peace. This was a situation where he just killed his best friend, and failed to keep his end of the bargain. "Kaguya, can we continue our discussion in my office? This is something no one else must know."

"Of course, Zero."

Kaguya then fell in after Zero's steps and politely accepted a seat as they entered Zero's spacious office. Kaguya can't help but notice that the office seemed dark and gloomy. 'Zero probably had his own concerns.' thought Kaguya as her gaze drew on the picture on the desk. There she saw Lelouch as a student, together with probably his classmates. Her eyes started to water at the thought that a teenager like Lelouch was fighting for peace, dropping everything a normal teenager was supposed to do. True he helped their cause, yet she couldn't help but think that he didn't have to. He had a bright future, yet he chose to side himself with the Japanese, relinquishing his name and took up the identity Zero, leading them through war against Britannia. 'What would he be doing now if he hadn't joined us? Would he be laughing with his classmates, enjoying lunch together, carefree and completely devoid of problems with regards to our cause?Who are we to have betrayed him. He who gave up so much more than we could give.' She then tore her gaze away from the picture and faced Zero. She gave a small gasp as she saw his hand holding the mask, which then gave a hiss, signifying that Zero is about to remove it.

Zero, saw that Kaguya was deeply saddened when she saw the picture. He couldn't help but blame himself for causing her so much pain. Not only did he kill his own father, he also fought his own countrymen, constantly causing Kaguya more worries about the future for Japan. He mentally berated himself for being naive as to think he could change Britannia from within. How many times has he seen that the system simply would not work the way he expected. Constantly being ridiculed by his fellow soldiers back then for being an honorary Britannian. They mocked him for being a betrayer and constantly blocked his efforts to set an example. He couldn't even launch Lancelot back then when he wanted to prove his worthiness. They all felt that a number shouldn't even pilot a Knightmare, let a lone a Knightmare, Schneizel himself funded and ordered to be built. 'I wonder how everything would have been if I accepted Lelouch's offer to form an alliance that time he rescued me? Would everything have been better? I now know that his method, no matter how evil or dirty, is effective. I also know that in war, there are no ways to avoid casualties and that deaths are to be expected.' he recalled Shirley's anguished cries as she found her fathers corpse, mangled almost beyond recognition because of the landslide. He blamed Lelouch for such sadness, however now he thought otherwise. They were at war. War means death. No matter who dies. He then reached at his mask. The mask then gave off a soft hiss, and he slowly removed it, fixing his eyes on Kaguya, who suddenly had her hands covering her mouth as she gasped in recognition. His hair, now extremely long and unruly, now fell, draping on his shoulders. He can't help but chuckle at the fact that he can't exactly go to a barber shop to get a haircut. God know what the barber would do if he saw a supposed dead knight walking in, wearing Zero's costume, asking for a haircut.

Kaguya stared for a bit as she recognized the face. She can't help but be taken back by surprise. She always thought that Kallen killed her cousin during the fateful battle at the Damocles. Now her supposed dead cousin sat in front of her. A small table between them, yet she could reach out and touch him. Tears now falling freely, she slowly leaned forward and then...

SMACK! Suzaku can't help but recoil in pain as Kaguya's hand shot out and slapped him hard. Not that he didn't expect then rubbed his face with one hand as he turned towards her, eyes downcast. He saw Kaguya breathing a bit faster, indicating that she is trying to suppress her rage. He knew he would be hated, yet he decided that she, at least, deserves to know what happened and how he and Lelouch came up with Zero Requiem.

"Suzaku, I know that you killed your father, my uncle. But I never expected history to repeat itself, with you killing your best friend, Lelouch. What is wrong with you? What next? You are going to kill me? Your remaining relative?" Kaguya exclaimed, slowly increasing volume until she is practically screaming. Kaguya felt her heart tearing inside. She can't help but feel saddened at the fact that her cousin, Suzaku, killed two very important people to her. Although she never knew Zero as Lelouch, she knew Lelouch as Zero. Although people ridiculed the idea of her marrying Zero, she was actually serious about the marriage. She wouldn't have minded if C.C. and Kallen became mistresses, nor even if all of them were really just mistresses. What was important was that she fell in love the vigilante for his exploits and charisma. Now that she knew a bit about his background, she can't help but love him more. She always loved Lelouch when they were younger. "Anyone close to you died through your hands. Please remember that. Your father's and Lelouch's blood are staining your hands, no matter how much you will try to wash it off."

Suzaku, reeled back at the words. The slap was nothing to the internal pain he is experiencing right now. He failed everyone. He couldn't even find a way that Lelouch could live. 'Lelouch, this is my punishment. I am alone and friendless in this world. Even my own cousin hates me. I wish I died in your stead. We could have made it in a way that I would become the Tyrant. It would have been a lot better that way.'

He then looked back at Kaguya, who is now crying without restraint, letting out the pain she felt ever since she found out what Lelouch had really planned for all of them.


End file.
